Global Greens

I call this dish “global” because it lends itself to a variety of seasonings—choose your favorite! Kale, chard, Brussels sprouts, yellow onion, white beans, and a sprinkling of whole mustard seeds come together quickly and beautifully all in one pot.

Instructions
1. Heat a large skillet or soup pot on high heat with 1/4 cup of water in the bottom. When the water begins to sizzle and the pan is hot, add the onion and sauté it for 3-5 minutes until the onion softens and its edges begin to turn light brown. Add a tablespoon or two of water as needed to prevent sticking.

2. Add the minced garlic, mustard seeds, seasoning, and beans, and sauté for another minute until all the seasoning is incorporated, adding a little water as needed. Add the Brussels sprouts and greens, and cover the pot. Turn heat to medium, and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring a few times during this time and checking that there is a thin layer of liquid in the bottom. (By the end of making this dish, I will have used all 1-1/4 cups of water.)

3. When the Brussels sprouts are tender, stir through a couple times, and the dish is ready to serve. Optional: Top with some pumpkin seeds or pine nuts, whole or grated (with a rotary cheese grater).

Seasoning blends: There are so many fun and tasty seasoning blends out there, I encourage you to try different ones with this dish. I used a Mexican seasoning blend that was made up of chili pepper, onion, paprika, cumin, and oregano. Pretty much any blend will work here, including an “all purpose” blend. But also consider the following blends: Cajun, Carribean, Mediterranean, garam masala, curry, Italian, or a chili Powder blend. For curry, garam masala, or chili powder blends, you may want to start with 1 teaspoon and then taste, as these are spicier than other blends (A quarter to a 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes would also make a nice addition for those who like an extra spicy kick.)

If you don’t usually cook with a lot of blends, check out the spice section at your local grocery store, Whole Foods or at any spice shop near you, or online at one of my favorite organic herb/spice shops, Mountain Rose Herbs. Be sure to look for “salt-free” blends.

Greens: I used curly kale and chard, but you may also use other greens, such as beet or collard greens, or Russian or dinosaur kale (see photo directly below). I usually trim off the thickest part of the stems and discard them, but you can eat them, they just need to be cooked a little longer than the leaves (wash and dice the stems and add them in with the onions so that they soften).

Below: Some commonly used cooking greens. For this recipe I used the curly kale and chard, but feel free to mix it up.

Below: Mustard seeds come from the mustard plant, a cruciferous vegetable related to broccoli and Brussels sprouts. They range in color from black to yellow, with black being the most pungent and yellow the mildest (used in the “yellow” mustard found at the grocery store). Yellow seeds that are darker in color are slightly more pungent and are used in Dijon mustard. Mustard seeds are often ground or used whole in pickling, canning, BBQ sauces and marinades. But they can also be used whole in recipes such as this one, as they are (mild in flavor) or roasted briefly in a skillet first to bring out their flavor. In either case, they add a fun texture.

Below: How to cut an onion along its grain: Cut off both ends, remove any papery layers, and cut along the grain lines to get curved chunks (then break apart the chunks into long, individual pieces).

Below: Using a rotary cheese grater, you can add a dusting of pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for a little richness.

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After you prepare the green leaves, you can chop the stems to dip into salsa and hummus, another alternative to baked chips or carrots and celery. Sometimes I discard and sometimes I’ll do this, it just depends if I feel like having dino kale stem “chips.” LOL. Great recipe, thanks! I heart all your recipes. Please tell us you’re writing a cookbook!

Welcome to Straight Up Food!

I’m Cathy Fisher, a chef and teacher whose passion is creating recipes without animal foods, salt, oil or sugar, and very few processed foods. Eating a whole-foods diet dramatically improves the health and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment—there are no downsides, only benefits! For more information about this blog and my work, click here. Thank you!